Events

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall.  Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering here

. This registration covers both events.

How can the Ottawa Branch OGS Library help my research? / 9 a.m. EDT

Presenter: Grace Lewis

Grace Lewis has been the Volunteer Librarian for the Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society since 2010. She has shepherded the collection through an extensive expansion program, welcoming donations from individuals and organizations alike. In 2016, BIFHSGO closed down its library and transferred ownership of the 2,500-item collection to the Ottawa Branch OGS Library, which currently contains over 13,000 items. Grace’s presentation will review what is available for BIFHSGO researchers at the library she has helped develop.

Grace Lewis was raised in a small community southeast of Ottawa in a large and loving farm family and has absorbed the oral traditions of family stories told by relatives and ancestors. Her family thrived in the Glengarry-Prescott area, where her forebears settled after arriving from Scotland and England in the mid-1800s. Her work life centered on publications coordination, and she retired after 40 years of government service. She currently enjoys retirement with various hobbies and summer travel and relishes her time at the Ottawa Branch OGS Library.

From the Vaults
Travels With My Aunt: Adventures in Europe, 1914 / 10 a.m. EDT

Originally presented in February 2014

Presenter: Barbara Tose

Barbara Tose will reprise her story of the adventures her great-grand-aunt Nellie had in Britain and Europe during the summer of 1914. Barbara weaves the stories from Nellie’s 30-page letter to her brother with the momentous events of that summer leading to the start of WW I.

An inductee into BIFHSGO’s Hall of Fame, Barbara Tose joined BIFHSGO in 2008 and served on the Board of Directors from 2014–2022, including four years as president. Barbara will retire soon as managing editor of BIFHSGO’s quarterly journal, Anglo-Celtic Roots..

Teaghlach Gaelach: A Celebration of Irish Family History

This Irish Gaelic phrase means "Irish Family."  "Family" is at the heart of what we do as genealogists. The "Celebration" will echo BIFHSGO's 30th anniversary, and the exciting developments in Irish family history research. With so many new resources being made available online—that is cause for celebration as well. 

An exciting slate of speakers is being pulled together, so be sure to watch for details!

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall.  Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering here

. This registration covers both events.

I’m Sorry—We Don’t Have Your Grandfather’s War Records… / 9 a.m. EST

Presenter: Seana (Shea) Jones

However, we do have plenty of other primary source materials that provide an insight into the everyday life of your ancestors during the two world wars and during peacetime.

There are over 70 accredited Canadian Armed Forces museums across Canada, covering the army, air force and navy. Sheana will explore the diverse array of artifacts, documents, photographs, and personal accounts that comprise the archival treasures of military museums.

From weaponry to uniforms, each artifact provides a narrative of life during conflict, both at home and abroad. The firsthand accounts that military museums also hold provide crucial context, shedding light on pivotal moments, strategies, and the human experiences behind conflicts.

Whether you're a seasoned historian or a new, eager enthusiast, this talk promises to deepen your appreciation for the invaluable treasures housed within military museums and how these objects can help you augment your genealogy research.

Seana will bring some artifacts from the museum to display.

Seana (Shea) Jones earned a BA in Political Science and History at Lakehead University, continued her studies in the Museum Management Program at Fleming College, and has found joy working in the heritage industry. She is currently the Collections Manager at Garrison Petawawa Military Museums, and can be found there or in the surrounding woods with her family and dogs.

Rebuilding A Life After Service in the Canadian Forestry Corps, With Help from the Soldier’s Settlement Board / 10 a.m. EST

Dianne Brydon will tell us about her grandfather Frank Brydon’s experience in the Canadian Forestry Corps during World War One, his injury, and his dealings with the Soldier’s Settlement Board to rebuild his life upon his return.

In 2017 Dianne Brydon published, with her father, The Stalwart Brydons: From Scotland to Galt to Portage La Prairie, her paternal family history.  She previously told the story of the Brydons’ arrival in Canada in a 2017 Great Moment “Despite What You Tell Your Children, More Than One Official Record Exists to Prove What Really Happened.” Dianne is currently BIFHSGO’s president.rps, With Help from the Soldier’s Settlement Board / 10 a.m. EST

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall.  Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering here

. This registration covers both events.

Annual Holiday Social / 9 a.m. EST

Great Moments in Genealogy / 10 a.m. EST

An Unexpected Gift
Presenter: Carol Annett

This presentation focuses on Carol's third great-grandmother, Ann Gillies McPherson. An unexpected gift of information broke down a 10-year-old brick wall and led Carol to discovering the complete story of her ancestor.

Carol Annett has been doing genealogy research for over 15 years. She enjoys travelling to places where her forebears lived in Scotland and in Canada. A member of the BIFHSGO writing group, Carol enjoys writing about her ancestors.

(From the Vaults) It Happened in Coolross
Presenter: Ann Burns

This is the story of the amazing coincidence that happened while Ann was travelling in Ireland with her father in 2008. He wanted to see where his paternal great-grandparents came from. They booked a self-driving trip that included a visit to Islandmagee, County Antrim, where his great-grandmother, Eliza McCullough, was born, followed by a few days in County Wicklow, where his great-grandfather, Edward Byrne, came from. Ann had driven on the left side of the road before, but the Irish roads offered? a special treat. They found nothing helpful in Islandmagee, viewing every headstone in every Presbyterian cemetery. They met and were treated by some really lovely people, but they had a life-changing experience in their search for the townland of Coolross in County Wicklow. And it happened on September 11. 

Ann Burns is a retired civil servant who has been working on her family history since 2002. She was born and brought up in Ottawa, as were her parents. Both sides of her family still feel much more connected to their Irish roots than those from England and France. She has travelled widely, but in recent years, she has spent most of her travel time in Ireland. She does most of her research herself but has hired a local genealogist in County Wicklow from time to time. That research confirmed what they found on that extraordinary day.

Blown Away 
Presenter: Veronica Scrimger

This Great Moments presentation highlights the journey Veronica took in 2019 to discover her grandfather’s foster home in the Shetland Islands.

Over the last ten years in retirement, Veronica Scrimger has been travelling to various parts of Scotland and England to walk in the footsteps of different ancestors. While all the trips have been incredibly rewarding, this Shetland one was a standout.

Over the “Golden Bridge”—The unexpected discovery of more British home children in my family tree
Presenter: Nancy Higgins

Nancy’s paternal granddad, William Stephen Higgins, was always “known” to be a British home child, though that has yet to be confirmed. He remains her brick wall, which she puts aside to pursue her easier Roper and Jefford maternal lines. A chance conversation in 2019 at one of BIFHSGO’s coffee breaks opened a door to unknown British home children in her family tree: William’s wife and Nancy’s granny, Mary Ann Rodger, and her younger sister, Helen. Following up on a few of the suggestions from this conversation has led to the discovery of Mary Ann and Helen’s sad past and their eventual journey to Canada.

Nancy Higgins retired from IBM after a long consulting career. She now enjoys spending her time as a family historian, while creating new family stories with her grandkids and indulging in her love of floral design. Nancy discovered she is related to not one but three British home children and the proud descendant of two, her paternal grandmother and grandfather. After a sojourn on the West Coast, Nancy has returned to live again in Ottawa. She looks forward to the day when her research is organized and in the meanwhile derives pleasure from the journey of discovery of her roots and creating family stories to share.